Bachmann looks past Perry

If Michele Bachmann is feeling threatened by Rick Perry's imminent entry into the presidential race, she didn't show it in a Friday morning interview on the "Today" show. Asked about the Texas governor, she skated right by the question and didn't even say Perry's name.

"Well, I've been in Washington, DC, now going on 5 years, and I've been a very consistent challenger to the unconstitutional policies of President Obama and Speaker Pelosi," Bachmann said, going on to tick off her business and legal credentials.

"I've also stood up against my own party. I stood up on principle rather than party," she added. "I've been bringing this voice, this movement into the halls of Congress very successfully."

It was even less of a Perry-specific answer than she gave in last night's debate. Unlike some of the other candidates who sought to draw a contrast with the soon-to-be-candidate, Bachmann merely joked, "I think there is room in the race for Governor Perry, Sarah Palin or even, Bret, you too."

On "Today," Bachmann also took — and deflected — a question about that now-infamous picture of her on the cover of Newsweek.

She listed all the recent bad news — the stock market, the credit downgrade, casualties in Afghanistan — and said, "That's not a good week. A magazine photo is not even a factor in all that."

As for whether she is, in fact, the "Queen of Rage": "No, not at all. I'm a very happy person, a very optimistic person. ... I love people. I really care about where people are at right now with the economy. So I want to focus on making their lives better."